Buenos Aires, Argentina – On the theme “Poetry and Postmodernity,” poet and essayist Mr. Rubén Balseiro led an animated online discussion with 20 participants on July 4, 2024. This event followed an earlier one on June 6, led by poet Mr. Osvaldo Rossi, on “Poetry and Artificial Intelligence.”
Both events were part of the 2024 Poetry Series organized by UPF-Argentina and the International Association of Arts and Culture for Peace. These topics raised many concerns, questions, and comments from the audience.
In both meetings, Mr. Miguel Werner, UPF-Argentina president, briefly introduced UPF and some of its local and international initiatives, including video reviews.
The sessions were moderated by Mr. Matías Sayavedra, IMAP-Argentina representative, and Prof. Bertha Bilbao Richter, teacher, literary critic, essayist and IAACP/UPF-Argentina representative. Prof. Richter is the coordinator of the poetry series, which is in its second year.
The June 6 meeting began with a speech by Mr. Osvaldo Rossi. “Poetry cannot be defined, it should be recognized,” said Rossi, who is a writer, university professor, and English-to-Spanish translator of poetry and essays. He has published ten poetry books, one narrative book, and three poetry essays, and has received numerous awards.
“Human creativity, and poetry, is a way of relating to the world, developing this bond and expressing it in a particular way…It is the transmutation of perceptions, feelings, thoughts, associations, images, intuitions… All of that is included in a coherent set of words in a poem,” he explained. “Poetry unites us with humanity,” he declared.
Mr. Rossi then discussed the use of technology in our daily lives and how popular AI has become in recent years. He admitted that he once thought AI was like an encyclopedia, but now he understands that “artificial intelligence thinks by itself and learns from its mistakes.” But ethics and morals will always be an issue for machines, he pointed out. He said that algorithms might be able to create “perfect poems,” but they might not be the best poems.
“Imperfection is what differentiates us,” he said. “It is an essential part of what we are. That is why, after so many industrialized products, we still value the ‘handmade’ inscription. Maybe, in the future, the ‘made by humans’ inscription will become relevant.”
The second event featured Mr. Rubén Balseiro, a renowned writer, member of the Argentinian Poetry Foundation, editorial secretary at Nexo Literario magazine, and coordinator of various literary groups. He is the author of poetry books and essays, translated into many languages.
“Art will always be a manifestation of peace,” he said, “whether a poet or an artist is a revolutionary artist… In the end, there is always a search for a better world, a search for beauty.” He explained that beauty is what moves us, like an epiphany.
Discussing postmodern poetry, Mr. Balseiro said, “Words, the essential element of poetry, adapt to every era.” He defined the postmodern era as beginning in the second half of the 20th century and ending on Sept.11, 2001. This time period, he said, brought the end of charismatic figures, a rise in individualism, instantaneous information, and the dominance of mass media. Also, he said, it brought “the end of universal truth.”
He read two short poems from different eras to illustrate his points. “Many people are talking about postmodernity, or meta-modernity,” he said, “But they want to cling to truth.”
He pointed out that metaphors, which are essential to poetry, are not always understood, and the use of obscure metaphor distances poets from people. “Let’s respect our language and try to enrich it, but let’s never lose sight of the fact that people have to read us; people will make their own interpretations,” he said.
He then read “Pandemia 2020,” by Mr. Antonio Requeni, which ends with the words: “Literature always saves us.”
“I believe this poem is marvelous,” he said. “I leave you with this idea: Literature will always save us. Literature is the place where we will always gather.”
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